Electronic devices, especially the handheld or portable type such as mobile phones, tablet computers, cameras, multimedia players, and the like, are often damaged when they fall or hit hard surfaces. Catching a handheld mobile phone in a flight, for example, usually requires endogenous attention. In such a case, unavoidable momentary lapses in attention can lead to an accidentally dropped mobile phone hitting the ground or other peripheral structures such as walls, tables, chairs, and furniture. Parts malfunctioning, operating system failure, faulty electrical connection and, in severe cases, memory corruption are some of the consequences that a dropped mobile phone may suffer.
When certain forms of damage such as dents and scratches occur on an externally accessible part of the mobile phone, one may be able to detect the location and, at times, even severity of the damage by conducting a simple visual inspection. Results of this visual inspection may be used by device manufacturer service centers as diagnostic information, or by device manufacturer research and development units as input for developing product designs and/or manufacturing processes which minimize damage to electronic devices when they are subjected to impact conditions. However, not every part of an electronic device is externally accessible. Some internal parts of an electronic device are not removable because they are either embedded in the device itself, or laminated, or tempered. Hence, they are not readily accessible for visual inspection by a human inspector. In this regard, it is desirable to detect an impact event on both accessible and inaccessible parts in the framework of electronic devices.
United States Patent Publication No. 20160054354 published on Feb. 25, 2016 to Invensense, Inc. (USA) describes a drop detection system for reliably detecting when an electronic device has been dropped. The drop detection system includes at least one module that is operable to, at least: (i) perform fall detection; (ii) perform impact detection; (iii) perform no-motion detection; and (iv) perform device drop detection, based at least in part on the fall detection, the impact detection, and the no-motion detection, wherein the module is operable to perform said detection through the use of sensor signals from various sensors which may be attached to internal parts of the device. The sensors may include any one or more of a gyroscope, a compass, a magnetometer, an accelerometer, a microphone, a pressure sensor, a proximity sensor, a moisture sensor, a temperature sensor, a biometric sensor, and an ambient light sensor.
A method associated with the cited prior drop detection system comprises the step of storing information of a detected drop (e.g., time and/or date information, timer/counter values, sensor data, threshold comparison results, impact direction and/or magnitude, fall detection parameters, impact detection parameters, no-motion detection parameters, etc.) in a memory. Such a memory may be a memory of the device (e.g., microprocessor (MPU) or MPU internal and/or external memory). The method further comprises communicating such information to a networked device (e.g., a network server). Information of a detected drop may be stored in a non-volatile memory for later reading and/or communicated to a network server prior to the drop rendering the device inoperable. In such a scenario, time/date information of the drop may be stored and/or communicated for later comparison to a time/date at which a device became inoperable.
While the information associated with a detected drop according to the implementations of the cited prior drop detection system and associated method can be used to aid visual inspection processes at device manufacturer service centers or at device manufacturer research and development units in detecting an impact event on both accessible and inaccessible parts in the framework of electronic devices, the same information have to undergo a mentally tortuous and tedious process of evaluation and interpretation. Even where this time-consuming and laborious process has been dealt with, special tools such as prying tools and magnifiers may be further required to determine the location of the impact on the device and assess the severity of the impact and any potential damage that may arise due to the impact.
There is therefore an outstanding need for method and device arranged to visually represent a monitored impact event such that a concrete evidence of impact which may be indicative of a possible damaged area in and on the device, and detection of such evidence are readily provided without requiring an unnecessary time-consuming and laborious evaluation and/or interpretation process and as well as special inspection tools.
The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the present disclosure.